The Vanishing Dragons
by ZefronsAngel
Summary: Three years after HTTYD2, Hiccup Haddock has finally adjusted to both life as a chief and life as a husband to Astrid. But he soon learns that easy times can't last forever when the beloved dragons begin disappearing off of Berk. In addition to this, Astrid is expecting their firstborn, meaning he also needs to prepare for the responsibilities of fatherhood. Mild Hiccstrid.
1. Chapter 1

**_The Vanishing Dragons_**

**_..._**

**This is my new story. I have a couple chapters completed, so I decided to start posting now that I know where I'm going with this story. Updates will be every other Sunday, so the next chapter will be posted on August 17 (I need to update my other stories as well, so...). Decent outtakes from this will most likely be turned into oneshots and posted in my collection. Hope you enjoy!**

**...**

Eight years had passed since peace with the dragons had been made on the island of Berk. Three years had passed since that sorrowful week in which Chief Stoick (the Vast) Haddock had passed away immediately following the re-discovery of his long-lost wife, Valka, and left his position to his son - Hiccup Horrendous Haddock III. Two and a half years had passed since Hiccup had married Astrid Hofferson, the young woman he'd been courting for the past five years. One month had passed since the pair had discovered they were expecting a child - and possibly the next heir to the throne.

Life was happy on Berk. Yes, there were still the little hinderances that popped up every now and again, but overall, things were running smoothly for the first time in a very long while. It was a strange feeling, though simultaneously refreshing. Finally, one could wake up in the morning to Terrible Terrors singing, step outside and be greeted by a herd of friendly dragons, and go about his day without having to fear for either war, his life, or both. The people, though known to enjoy a good battle every now and then, relished the calm, serene atmosphere.

But no one loved the the peace more than Hiccup.

"Good evening, milady," the young chief greeted as he walked through the door to see Astrid seated in a comfortable chair whilst stitching what was supposed to be a baby blanket. However, despite what purpose it might have been intended to serve, it resembled something a dragon might have thrown up. "How was your day?"

"I _hate _sewing!" she exclaimed, tossing her work aside. "I hate it! Why couldn't I have just gone on village patrol today and left you to do the housewife work?"

"Astrid, we both know you need to take it easy until the baby comes. I don't want you or the little one getting hurt out there." He plopped onto the couch beside her chair.

She rolled her blue eyes. "We'd be _fine. _I don't know why you always fear the worst."

"Because...you need to be realistic here. Just because everything seems okay now doesn't mean trouble won't come to haunt us. What if I'd had you go out today and there had been a sudden attack? Battle wouldn't be good for the baby, and you could potentially injure yourself to the point where you couldn't properly support him or her anymore." When it came to Astrid - and now the unborn child as well - Hiccup had a habit of becoming wildly protective, something that irritated his independent and stubborn wife.

"But nothing _did_ happen, did it?"

"No, but it _could _have. You never know, Astrid."

"You never know _until you get out there_," she corrected. "Which _someone_ won't even let me do." She glared at him. Usually, the two of them shared both chief and home duties. But now that Astrid was expecting, that had changed a bit.

"Okay, okay, tell you what. I'll cook dinner tonight and you can go check up on the dragons in the stalls."

"But I want to _fly,_" she insisted. Because of the speed and bumpiness that sometimes posed problems whilst flying dragons, Hiccup had expressed that he would not recommend Astrid do that for the duration of her pregnancy. After all, too many violent movements could harm the baby.

He sighed.

"You need to chill out," she went on. "This is Stormfly we're talking about. She'd never hurt me. And I wouldn't be _patrolling, _I'd just be _riding._" The blonde Viking gave him another eye roll as he rubbed the back of his neck, a sign that he was unsure of how to respond. "Come on," she continued. "The poor dragon hasn't been out in three days. She needs exercise."

"But Astrid -"

"See you, Hiccup." Standing up, she pulled on her fur shawl and headed to the door. "By the way, I'm craving crab cakes and bread tonight."

"Astrid, just -"

Hiccup was cut off as she disappeared outside.

"- be careful," he finished to himself as he allowed his head to drop into his hands. Sometimes, her stubbornness drove him crazy. He sure hoped his child wouldn't follow in those footsteps.

"You're back."

Looking up, Hiccup saw his mother standing before him. "Oh hey, Mom. How was your day with Astrid?"

"That's just what I wanted to talk to you about, dear." Valka sat down beside her son. "Hiccup, she's a very strong young woman. Trying to keep her cooped up in the house is only going to hurt her."

"Not you, too." He groaned. "Mom, I just want to keep her and our baby safe. Don't tell me Dad didn't do the same with you while you were expecting me."

"That's exactly what he did. And it was awful." She shook her head at the memory. "Son, you need to trust that she can take care of herself - which I'm certain she can. She's a mother now. She has a mother's instinct. She'd know better than anyone if something was hurting her baby."

Hiccup didn't respond.

"Trust me. As a mother myself, I know."

Sighing, he shrugged his shoulders. "But you don't know how it feels as a _father_. If...if only Dad were still here for me to talk to."

Valka pulled him into a hug. "I know, dear. I know. I miss him, too." She struggled not to cry. Despite the fact that it had been a few years since Stoick had passed away, the Haddocks still experienced moments of grieving sometimes.

Hiccup returned his mother's hug and laid his head on her shoulder. Even though he was twenty-three years old, he still craved the motherly love and affection he'd been deprived of throughout his childhood. Astrid brought him great comfort as well, but there was just something about Valka's tenderness that no one else could duplicate.

"Everything will work out," she assured as she released him. "And Astrid and the child will be fine."

"I sure hope so," he muttered.

She gave him a comforting smile.

"Alright, well, I guess I'd better get started on dinner. I told Astrid I'd take care of it tonight." _Whether it's for her sake or mine, I don't know, _he added mentally. Astrid was notorious for her poor cooking skills. There were many nights when the Haddocks would end up eating burnt fish, under-baked bread, or recipes that no one could even begin to fathom how she could come up with. Unfortunately, Valka wasn't much better in the kitchen, so on the evenings Hiccup took care of food preparations, it was a treat for everyone.

"You do that," she said. "I'll see if I can fix this blanket your sweet wife was trying to make." Since Hiccup and Astrid's wedding, Valka had taken up the task of trying to teach Astrid to sew. However, the young Viking had never made much progress. "You know, I really think she means well with these things, but she almost always ends up wasting valuable fabric and thread."

Hiccup smiled as he stood up. "Well, that's Astrid for you, Mom."

...

Astrid landed her Deadly Nadder in front of the home of the Jorgensen family. This was the house in which Hiccup's cousin Snotlout and his wife - Ruffnut - lived. Although Astrid and Ruffnut hadn't been that close growing up, they'd recently begun to confide in each other more, especially since they could now relate to one another about things such as marriage. Besides, once Ruffnut had moved away from her twin brother, Tuffnut, her former antagonistic ways had begun to slowly fade, making her a worthwhile companion.

"Astrid!" Ruffnut greeted as she opened the door. "I was just about to go grab Tuffnut for a ride on Barf and Belch, but since you're here, I guess that can wait." Even though they no longer lived together, Ruffnut and her twin brother still shared the Hideous Zippleback they'd gotten as teenagers. After all, once a rider established a bond with a dragon, it was nearly impossible to break it.

"I won't stay long," promised Astrid, hopping off of Stormfly and following Ruffnut into the house. "I just needed to get out for a while and decided to stop in for a quick talk."

"What did Hiccup do this time?" Ruffnut asked, folding her slender arms over her chest and rolling her eyes.

"He's driving me up the wall with his overprotectiveness." Astrid sank down onto the Jorgensen's couch. "Like, he didn't even want me to take Stormfly for a ride because he claims the whole flying process will supposedly 'hurt the baby.'" She used air quotes at the last part of her statement.

"Typical Hiccup," said Ruffnut, sitting beside her friend. "I swear, that guy has more negativity than...than...oh, forget it. I can't think of anything. The point is, he's always negative."

"I wouldn't say _always, _but I do agree that he does have a tendency to uh...well, let's just say he likes to look at the worst case scenario."

"You know what you have to do, girl? You need to get in there and show him who's boss. Make him spend the night on the couch, refuse to kiss him, give him a good whack over the head. Anything that will prove your dominance. That's what I do with Snotlout." Ruffnut nodded repeatedly to emphasize her words.

"I'm not exactly trying to prove _dominance, _Ruff. I'm just trying to get him to loosen up a little."

"Oh, that's easy then. Just tell him you're doing things your way and that he doesn't have a say."

"That's basically what I did before I left the house just now. And it worked and all, but I want to be able to do it _without _him going into his panic mode and giving me a hard time about every little move I make."

"Good luck with that. He seems to be just as stubborn as you and I are sometimes."

"He can be pretty impossible." Astrid shook her head. "Well, I guess I'd better get going so I can finish my flight and make it home for dinner. Thanks for letting me sit here and rant about my husband issues."

"Anytime, girl. Anytime."

After saying good-bye and bidding her friend a good rest of the day, Astrid returned to her dragon and climbed onto the saddle. "Go, Stormfly."

The Nadder rose into the sky, taking her rider to the level of the fluffy clouds. For a while, the little trip was quiet and uneventful. But eventually, Astrid spotted something suspicious. A group of about five dragons were flying in the distance - only they were moving away from Berk rather than towards it. That was weird. Normally, the dragons on the island never left in a crowd like that other than when they went to go lay their eggs during Snoggletog season.

"Come on, let's go get a closer look," Astrid urged Stormfly. She knew Hiccup would be alarmed that she was investigating something that could potentially lead to danger, but she wasn't the type of person who could just shrug something off without looking further into it. She needed to know what was happening.

Stormfly obeyed.

Leaning in, Astrid squinted her eyes against the sun glare. The dragons didn't seem to be in a hurry, but yet they still had a strange sense about them that they were headed for a specific destination. _Weird, _she thought, continuing to follow the small herd. _I've never seen this before. _After a bit of debating, she resolved to turn around and return home. She had to tell Hiccup about this.

Almost as soon as she started to head back, a steady rain began to fall. "Alright, Stormfly. We gotta move quick if we want to make it home before this gets worse."

The Nadder purred and immediately picked up her speed. However, when they were halfway there, chilly winds began to blow and the rainfall grew harder.

Shivering, Astrid leaned forward and encouraged her Nadder to keep pushing forward. It was somewhat of a difficult process, but they eventually landed at the dragon stalls as night was beginning to fall.

"Good girl, Stormfly," Astrid praised, petting the blue reptile on the nose before turning back and hurrying to the house. Upon opening the door, her soaking figure shaking, her hair plastered to her head, and water dripping off her shoes, she was instantly engulfed in a hug from Hiccup.

"Astrid! Oh Astrid, you're back! I took a lap around the island on Toothless a while ago when that storm was just starting, but we didn't find you anywhere." Toothless was Hiccup's Night Fury - the unholy offspring of lightening and death itself. "I was so worried." He clutched her tighter, her head pressing over his heart, and nuzzled his face into her soggy hair. "Are you okay?"

"Hiccup," she said seriously. Her arms were around his middle and her body was against his, though she lifted her eyes to look at him. "We have a problem."

"Does it involve you or the baby?"

"No, but -"

"Then it can wait. Now go get yourself out of these soaking wet things before you catch a cold. I'll find the dinner leftovers while you do that."

"You _have _to listen, Hiccup. There's a group of about five dragons or so heading out. I have no idea where they're going or why they're leaving. They don't seem to be feeling threatened, but they also look like they're headed for somewhere specific. Like they wouldn't break from their gang."

"Hmmm..." He considered for a moment. "Are you sure they were leaving Berk?"

"Almost positive."

"I...I don't know why they'd be doing that. Were they all different kinds or was it all the same type?" He released his hold on her. "Never mind, that can wait. Just go change." Kissing her forehead, he gently pushed her in the direction of the stairs. Although the master bedroom was located on the ground level, Hiccup had loved the loft he'd used throughout his childhood too much to part with it. When he'd married Astrid, he had gotten Gobber the Belch, the blacksmith who had been a close friend of Stoick's, to make him a larger bed, and simply put that in his room in place of his former small one.

Astrid complied. When she returned, she was wrapped in a thick fur robe, her damp hair combed out and left down and her feet bare. She walked into the kitchen to find her husband sitting at the table, a plate full of food waiting at the spot beside him. Suddenly realizing how hungry she was, she sat down and started to dig in.

"So, to continue our talk," Hiccup started.

"Oh, you're home, Astrid," smiled Valka as she entered the room. "Hiccup was beside himself when he couldn't find you out there, but I told him you'd be fine."

"And I was," Astrid confirmed, lightly punching Hiccup's arm.

"Astrid saw something weird out there," said Hiccup. "She said there was a group of dragons who all looked like they were leaving Berk."

"Really?" Interested, Valka sat down across from the couple. "Tell me more, dears."

"Apparently they didn't look panicked or anything," Hiccup spoke up.

"And it's not close enough to egg season," Astrid added as she took a bite of her crab cake.

"It just seems odd," he observed, mindlessly twirling a piece of his wife's hair around his finger. For some reason, the couple loved to play with each other's hair. She would put little braids in his, and he would simply stroke hers and gently twist it as he was doing now.

"Were they all the same kind?" wondered Valka, voicing the question that Hiccup hadn't given Astrid a chance to respond to earlier.

"No." Astrid shook her head. "There were a couple different species, which makes it all the more strange."

"Let's see..." Valka paused, considering possible reasons for why the dragons could be heading out. "Some dragons act a bit out of the ordinary when a natural disaster is going to happen. Maybe we should get ready for a flood or earthquake or something of the sort."

"But when?" Hiccup asked.

"I can't say, son. It's only a theory. And even if I could be certain it was true, I doubt there would be any way of telling the exact time of the event."

"This is bad." He shook his head. "I feel like we should prepare, but at the same time, I don't want to alarm everyone and start a mess around here without knowing for sure if anything is even gonna happen."

"Don't announce it," Astrid advised. "We need to wait until we have a better idea of what's going on before we start jumping to conclusions."

Hiccup sighed and leaned back in his chair. "You're right. But I do think we should look more into this."

"I agree," said Astrid.

"Alright, then. I'll take Fishlegs with me to check this out tomorrow morning. You too, Mom." Fishlegs Ingerman was Hiccup's best friend besides Astrid and Toothless. Though he could be cowardly sometimes, he was exceptionally skilled in the memorization of dragon facts and was quick to pick up on new things. As for Valka, she had lived amongst dragons for years, so her vast knowledge of their ways would prove even more useful than Fishlegs' memory in the investigation.

"And what about me?" wondered Astrid, turning to look at her husband.

"You're gonna stay here and take care of things at home," Hiccup explained. Noticing the disappointment on her face, he pushed her bangs out of her eyes. "Darling, I'm sorry, but I just can't risk anything happening to you while -"

She rolled her eyes and folded her arms over her chest. "Are you for real?"

"Yes, of course I'm for real. Why wouldn't I be?"

"Well, I'd just like to give you a friendly reminder that _I _discovered the dragons leaving today and started to follow them _on my own. _I'll be fine. And besides, you don't even know the area where I saw this happen, you genius."

"You could tell me."

"But I want to _be _there." She banged her fist on the table.

"Astrid, please. You need to understand. I -"

"I don't even want to hear _anything_ more you have to say, you dumbhead. You know, until I found out I was pregnant, you used to always bring me on adventures like this. Every single time. But now, you're sitting here treating me like I'm an invalid just because I happen to be carrying our child."

"Astrid, that's not true. I value you and your input on things. It's just that -"

"Shut it, Haddock." Rising from her seat, she punched his arm and stormed out of the room.

Hiccup let his face fall into his hands as he let out a groan. Then, remembering Valka was still there, he sighed in embarrassment at the fact that he and Astrid had fought in front of her. "Sorry you had to see all that, Mom," he apologized with blushing cheeks.

Valka smiled and shook her head. "Oh son, you two remind me so much of your father and I. We'd argue over things just like that - he'd want to protect me and I'd rebel and insist I knew what I was doing."

Not knowing what response to give, Hiccup picked up Astrid's plate and took it to the wash bin. When he was finished with that task, he kissed Valka's cheek to bid her good-night, then crept up to his and Astrid's room. There, he saw his wife lying in bed, now in a nightgown rather than a robe. Her face was buried into one of the pillows and her body was half-covered by the fur blanket. "Astrid?"

She didn't respond.

He sat down beside her and placed a gentle hand on her shoulder. "Astrid, we need to -"

"I don't want to talk to you, Hiccup," she muttered.

"But I need to explain."

She lifted her face to meet his. "No, _I_ need to explain. You need to keep your Thor-damned mouth shut and listen for once."

"Fine. I'm all ears."

"You are ridiculous," she began. "I'm _pregnant, _not deathly ill. There's a huge difference, and I refuse to be belittled because _you _think I'm suddenly this fragile, frail person that can't handle anything."

"I'm not trying to belittle you. I'm just -"

"Shut. Up." She glared at him. "Words mean nothing to me anymore. It's how you're treating me now that says everything. And look at you. Half your leg fell off, and I don't go crying and throwing tantrums every time you step out the door." Hiccup had lost part of his left leg in his battle with the evil Red Death dragon, which had left him to rely on a metal foot at the age of only fifteen.

"Woah, hold up there." He put up his hand up to signal her to stop talking. "First of all, I'm just being protective. And secondly, my leg did not 'fall off.'"

"The point is, it's not there and I don't make a fuss over it," she snapped. "Stop being so sensitive."

"Alright, alright, I'll calm down." He sighed. "How about we both just lie down and try to get some rest? Maybe if we sleep on this, it'll be a little better in the morning."

"Sounds fair." She slid off the bed and walked over to the shelf on the wall that held a few spare furs for exceptionally chilly nights. After grabbing one, she handed it to Hiccup. "You can 'sleep on this' downstairs on the couch, and I'll stay here."

"Great," he muttered sarcastically as he rolled his eyes. "It's not like I wanted to get any rest tonight, anyway." Nights without Astrid were rare, though always hard for him. He was accustomed to having her wrapped in his embrace and using her head as a pillow for his own. He always felt comforted by the feeling of her arms around him and her lightly freckled nose nuzzling against his bare chest (as he usually slept without a shirt). Even the little murmuring noises and sighs she made in her sleep were missed when she wasn't there.

"'Night," she said once she had blown out the bedside candle and settled underneath the covers.

"Do I at least get a kiss?"

"Nope."

"A hug?"

She groaned. "You've _got _to be kidding me. Now get out of here."

Reluctantly, Hiccup turned and fumbled his way to the door through the dark.

Although she'd never admit it aloud, Astrid felt just as lonely sleeping by herself as Hiccup did. She loved having him beside her, the sound of his heartbeat and the lingering scent of the leather flight suit he always wore lulling her into a peaceful slumber. She relished the passionate kisses they shared every night in each other's arms. When they weren't too tired, the kisses would turn into something more, but it was common for the pair to merely participate in lip locks - with the occasional nibble on the ear lobe from him. And that nibbling always felt so good to her; it always brought about a tingly, warm feeling that made her whole body shiver with delight.

Tossing around, she considered going to ask Hiccup to come to bed with her and forget their fight. However, she didn't want to come across as soft. It was true that she did have a gentler side when it came to him, but she still wasn't _that_ vulnerable as to withdraw her anger purely for the sake of a cuddle or two.

Downstairs, Hiccup wasn't making much better progress. Longing for company, he had let Toothless in the house and allowed him to curl up beside the couch, but the giant, lovable reptile was still no replacement for the tender touches of his wife.

"Hey, bud," he spoke quietly as he rolled over to face Toothless, who appeared confused at the fact that his rider and best friend wasn't in his bedroom as usual. "Yeah, Astrid's mad at me right now."

Toothless laid his head on the side of the couch and let out a soft purr as Hiccup stroked his scaly nose.

"She thinks I'm ridiculous," Hiccup went on, leaning down to hug his dragon around the neck. "You don't think I'm ridiculous, do you, buddy?"

Letting out a small laughing sound, Toothless swiped his tongue across the front of Hiccup's shirt.

"Toothless! You know that doesn't wash out!" the Viking chief scolded. "Bad dragon," he added playfully. "Very bad dragon."

Toothless gave him an innocent, toothless grin.

"Alright, I forgive you. Now lie back down and try to get some sleep. We have a big day ahead of us tomorrow."


	2. Chapter 2

**_The Vanishing Dragons_**

**_..._**

**Just a note: if you guys want to see the slightly changed, extended, and smutty ending for this chapter, you can go read my oneshot ****_Making Up_**** in my oneshot collection.**

**...**

Astrid awoke the next morning after a poor night's sleep to find herself in an empty house. Hiccup was gone, Valka was missing, and there was no sign of Toothless, who was usually the only dragon that was allowed indoors. Groaning, the blonde Viking entered the kitchen to find a note lying on the table. It read:

_'Morning, darling,_

_Mom and I left around dawn. Stormfly is fed, and there's a bowl of porridge for you in the ice box if you want to heat it up for breakfast. There's also pails of water warming by the fire if you'd like a bath. We should be home by dusk. Take good care of yourself and the little one._

_Hiccup_

_P.S. I know you're mad at me, but please remember that I love you._

Astrid sighed and sank into a chair once she'd finished looking over what her husband had to say. This was ridiculous. He had gone out - completely ignorant of where to even investigate - and had not bothered to do so much as consult her for more information or just simply query as to where she saw the dragons retreating. Thor's hammer, he hadn't even woken her to kiss her good-bye. She knew they weren't on the best of terms at the moment, but the effort would have still been nice to see.

"This whole thing is just a pile of dragon dung," she muttered to herself, allowing her head to fall onto the table in frustration.

...

"Do we even know where we're going?" asked Fishlegs nervously. He was flying on his Gronckle - Meatlug - behind Hiccup and Valka.

"We just need to circle the island until we see anything suspicious," Hiccup called back.

"You know, son, it really might have been useful if you'd brought Astrid along," said Valka gently as she urged Cloudjumper - her Stormcutter - to continue moving.

Hiccup groaned. "First of all, there's her safety we'd need to worry about, and secondly, she's mad at me. There would be nothing worse than having an angry Astrid with us."

"He's got a point there," Fishlegs agreed.

"Thank you, Fishlegs," said Hiccup. "Now, let's keep our eyes open for anything that looks -" He broke off as he noticed a group of dragon footprints down below. "And I found something. Let's go." He swooped down and landed, Valka and Fishlegs following close behind.

"These footprints came from Gronckles and Zipplebacks," Fishlegs announced as he climbed off of Meatlug and knelt to the ground. "They look to be only a few hours old."

"So the dragons came through recently," Hiccup concluded. "Okay. Let's follow the tracks and see where they go."

The three lead their dragons on in the direction the footprints guided them, which eventually proved to be a task that would take longer than expected.

"Meatlug's hungry," Fishlegs said after a while, stopping by a large bush and permitting his dragon to roam where she pleased.

Hiccup and Valka turned to see the cheery Gronckle heading toward a pile of rocks. Because she was part of the boulder class, rocks and stones were the main portion of her daily diet.

"For the love of Thor," Hiccup groaned.

"Hiccup, the poor thing is hungry," Valka said. "Let her eat her fill. We can wait." She sat down on Cloudjumper and glanced around. It wasn't long before she noticed an oddity in the area. "Look. There's piles of rocks all over here. It seems like the Gronckles that travelled through were having a feast they never finished."

"But...but why?" Hiccup wondered, wandering about the scene. "You don't suppose something's after the dragons, do you?"

"It could be possible." She stroked Cloudjumper's side.

"What would it be, though?"

"Do we really want to find out?" interjected Fishlegs as he began to bite his nails.

"Yes," Hiccup replied. "Yes we do."

...

While Hiccup, Valka, and Fishlegs' discovery was in the process of being analyzed, Astrid was crossly sweeping the floor of the Haddock home. Cleaning was something she hated only slightly less than she hated sewing, but she felt that if she was going to be stuck inside and missing out on her husband's adventure, she might as well do something productive.

"Hiccup! Hiccup!"

Astrid walked to the nearest window and looked out to see Tuffnut Thorston running toward the house. "Hiccup's not home!" she called.

"Well, are you?"

She rolled her eyes. Tuffnut could be so senseless sometimes. "Hello? You're talking to me, of course I'm home."

"Ruff and I have a problem."

"The door's open; come on in."

A few seconds later, Tuffnut appeared in the front room. "Eww, what happened to you, Astrid? You look like a girl." He wrinkled his nose at the sight of the young woman's outfit, which consisted of a grey skirt, an apron, and a crimson red top. She wore no shoes or stockings, and her shoulders were free from their usual armor.

"Shut up, Tuff," Astrid demanded with a glare. "What do you want, anyway?" She crossed her arms over her chest and tapped her bare foot against the wooden floorboards beneath her.

"Barf and Belch are missing!" exclaimed Tuffnut, his arms moving about vigorously in every direction. "Ruff and I went to take them out for a spin, and they weren't in their pen! We've looked everywhere! You've gotta go find Hiccup and tell him to get his butt over here and help us."

"Okay, okay, relax. I honestly have no clue where my dumbhead of a husband is, but if you want, I'd be willing to go with you guys to investigate."

"Awesome!" He at first smiled, but the smile quickly transformed into a look of confusion. "Wait...investigate _what_, exactly?"

She rolled her eyes. "Your dragon disappearing. What else?"

"Oh. Right!"

Astrid sighed. "Okay, then. I'll be out in ten minutes. Go get Ruff and meet me over at the stalls. We'll grab Stormfly and Hookfang there." Hookfang was Snotlout's Monstrous Nightmare. Although he seemed intimidating when one first met him, he really was harmless as long as nobody irritated him. "And don't you dare say you didn't understand any of that!"

"Understand what?"

"Just go!"

Tuffnut shrugged and walked back outside.

Letting out a groan, Astrid hurried upstairs. After changing into her armor, she rushed to the stalls, at which she surprisingly found the twins - and Snotlout - standing.

"Snotlout wants to come," Ruffnut announced.

"That's fine by me," said Astrid. "Tuff, get on Hookfang with Snotlout. Ruff, we'll ride Stormfly."

"Come on, Astrid. Are you really gonna make me ride with _that_ loser?" Snotlout jabbed his thumb towards Tuffnut. "Because I really don't think I can -"

"Shut up and let's get going," Astrid commanded. "And just so you all know, this never happened as far as Hiccup's concerned."

"Why can't he know?" Snotlout asked.

"Because he's being an overprotective jerk. Now get your dragon and let's start moving."

Within ten minutes - and after lots of nagging and prodding by Astrid - the group was up in the sky, a cold wind blowing through their hair and whipping against their hands and faces.

"Could you people possibly move any slower?" Tuffnut shouted to Astrid and Ruffnut. "We need to find Barf and Belch _today_."

"The slower we go, the better we can look below us to see if there's any signs of them," Astrid explained.

"But -" Tuffnut began.

"But _nothing_," Ruffnut cut in. "Astrid knows what she's talking about."

"Are you sure about that, Ruff?" asked Snotlout.

"_Positive_, babe. Now keep your mouth shut and pay attention."

The search continued in silence for a while - and with no success in sight. Deciding to take a few minutes to rest the dragons, the group landed in a small clearing.

"You know, that kind of looks like Toothless over there," Tuffnut observed, twisting his neck in order to look around Hookfang's head.

A rush of panic flowed through Astrid. If Toothless was nearby, that meant Hiccup would be, too. "Where?"

Tuffnut opened his mouth to respond, but was immediately cut off by the sound of leaves rustling. Before anyone knew it, Berk's young chief was emerging from behind a bush. "Astrid? What in the name of Thor?" Hiccup's eyes grew wide. "Why are you out here? And why are the twins and Snotlout with you?" He folded his arms over his chest.

Astrid let out a defeated sigh. "Ruff and Tuff couldn't find Barf and Belch, so I said I'd help them look. And Snotlout wanted to come along. It's not a big deal. I'm fine."

By this time, Fishlegs and Valka had joined Hiccup.

"You didn't tell me you were bringing reinforcements," Fishlegs said, tilting his head to one side.

"They aren't reinforcements." Hiccup groaned as his face fell into his hands. "They're apparently out looking for Barf and Belch."

"Well, there's Zippleback tracks all around back where we came from," Fishlegs informed. "Maybe you guys should check there."

"Come on." Astrid hopped off her dragon. Once the others had done the same, she motioned for them to follow her. However, she did not get more than a few steps in before Hiccup firmly - but gently - took her wrists and stopped her.

"Astrid, you know you shouldn't be here. The baby -"

"The baby will be fine," she snapped. "He or she has got _my_ warrior blood after all."

"Actually, when a pregnant woman is as early along as you are, she and the child are at risk for -" began Fishlegs.

"Don't you _dare _give him any more ideas!" hissed Astrid. "Now Hiccup, let go of me before I knock you unconscious." She struggled to free herself from his grasp. When she didn't get anywhere, she kicked his shin.

"Astrid!" Hiccup exclaimed. "I just want to protect you. I -"

"Son, she'll be okay. I promise," Valka cut in. "Just give her a chance."

Groaning, Hiccup released his wife and pressed one of his hands to his forehead in exasperation. "Fine. I'll back off. But just know that if anything happens to you or the baby out here, I'll never forgive myself."

"You won't have to worry because nothing's gonna happen. I swear to the gods." Astrid crossed her arms over her chest. "Now, do you mind filling me in about what's going on with these Zippleback prints?"

"There's not only Zippleback tracks, there's ones from Gronckles, too," Fishlegs explained. "And now that you say Barf and Belch are gone, I just can't help but worry that my Meatlug will disappear, too." He sniffled. "And I don't know what I'd do without her." As strange as it might seem, Fishlegs and Meatlug had a sort of father-daughter type of bond rather than the best friend connection the other dragons had with their riders.

"Calm down, Fishlegs," said Hiccup. "Just because the prints seem to be leading off the island doesn't mean that the dragons are leaving forever. And knowing the twins, Barf and Belch are probably sitting right in the Thorston's backyard."

"Um, leave me out of this," Ruffnut interjected. "I think I would have known it if my dragon was at my brother's house. I was just there this morning."

"Wait, it's my house? I always thought it was Mom and Dad's." Tuffnut wrinkled his nose in confusion.

"Guys, please," Hiccup prompted, holding up his hands. "The point is, we can't assume the worst case scenario when we barely have any evidence other than these tracks."

"And the rocks," added Valka.

"That, too," confirmed Hiccup.

"So, what do we do?" Fishlegs asked.

Sighing, Hiccup shook his head. "Well, since Astrid is insisting on being here, she can take the twins and Snotlout down the shortcut to Dragon Island. You, Mom, and I will go the long way." Dragon Island was the ultimate meeting place for dragons of all sorts of species. No humans had ever lived there and none would ever dare to try; it was a land that distinctly belonged to the beasts.

"Do we really have to take that route? Meatlug and I -"

"Will be fine," finished Hiccup with a sigh.

"But I don't want to ride with dumb and bossy," Tuffnut complained, referring to Snotlout and Astrid respectively.

Groaning, Hiccup said, "Fine. Fishlegs, go with Astrid. Snotlout, come with me. You can ride on Toothless as long as you promise not to be a pain in the butt."

"When am I ever -" Snotlout began.

"For the love of Thor, let's just get moving," Hiccup commanded.

...

"What exactly are we looking for on Dragon Island again?" Tuffnut queried as he flew Hookfang alongside Astrid and Ruffnut, who were both still riding Stormfly. Fishlegs trailed behind on Meatlug.

"Uh...our dragon," Ruffnut suggested.

"And any clues as to why it looks like the Zipplebacks and Gronckles are leaving Berk," added Astrid, urging her Nadder on.

"What does a clue look like?" wondered Tuffnut.

Astrid rolled her eyes. "Never mind. Leave the detective work to the rest of us. You just concentrate on keeping an eye out for Barf and Belch."

"Okay. Got it...I think."

Shaking her head, Astrid decided to stop trying to explain the situation to Tuffnut. Though he was surprisingly a good dragon rider - and even a good dragon trainer if he really set his mind to it - he wasn't the sharpest tool in the shed.

"I smell Zippleback gas," Fishlegs observed as the journey progressed. Zipplebacks were known for shooting gas from one of their two heads and sparks out of the other.

"Me, too," Ruffnut said.

"Is that from a Zippleback, or is that from you, Ruff?" Tuffnut cut in.

"Be quiet and focus, Tuff," Astrid commanded. "This is serious." She paused to inhale the air around her. "It still smells pretty strong. Fishlegs, how many Zipplebacks do you think were here, and how long ago?"

"Uh...um..." Fishlegs stammered, then broke off as he started to cough due to the gas.

"Do you have any ideas?" prompted Astrid.

The plump Viking took a moment to collect himself, then stated, "If my hypotheses are correct, about three or four Zippleback were here maybe uh...maybe two hours ago."

"Two hours?"

"That's what I'm thinking."

"Come on, guys. Let's follow that gas." Astrid led Stormfly in the direction where the scent continued.

"But...but what about Dragon Island?" Fishlegs asked. "Hiccup said -"

"_Hiccup_ is not here," she snapped. "I'm in charge of this group, and I say we should see where the gas leads."

"Yes, ma'am," he responded, his voice shaking.

With the little dispute resolved, the four dragon riders all traveled in the direction of the Zippleback gas in silence. But to their disappointment, the odor eventually stopped in thin air - without any sort of warning.

"What's going on?" Tuffnut demanded.

Astrid sighed. "I don't know. This is weird, though."

"Maybe the Zipplebacks were trying to use the gas to lure other Zipplebacks into their group," suggested Fishlegs.

"But why would they suddenly stop here?" asked Astrid.

"We just passed Dragon Island an hour ago, and I haven't seen any other land since," began Ruffnut. "Maybe that has something to do with it."

"That makes sense, Ruff," Astrid said. "Maybe we should just fall back to Dragon Island and find Hiccup and Valka."

"And Snotlout," added Tuffnut.

Astrid rolled her eyes. "Yes, and Snotlout, but he won't be able to help us figure any of this out."

"True, but I just thought he'd be worth mentioning. Besides, I'm getting sick of controlling his stubborn dragon." Tuffnut tightened his grip on Hookfang and attempted to turn him around. "Let's go, you mutton-head."

Growling, Hookfang let out a brief burst of flames and shook himself so that his rider was bouncing in the saddle.

Tuffnut screamed, earning a laugh from his sister.

"Cut it out and come on!" shouted Astrid in attempt to stop Tuffnut from continuing on with his ways. "We should probably try to get to Dragon Island before dark."

"By the way, I'm starving," complained Tuffnut as he regained control of the Nightmare.

"Well, you're just gonna have to wait, aren't you?" Astrid guided Stormfly onto the new course of travel and looked behind her to make sure Tuffnut and Fishlegs were following. The last thing she needed was to lose one of the group members in the middle of open sky and ocean.

"Fine." Tuffnut sighed. "But just know that if I die of hunger out here, it's gonna be your fault."

...

"So far, we've only seen two Zipplebacks," said Hiccup as he patted Toothless' nose. "And five Gronckles. That's unusual for Dragon Island." He, Valka, and Snotlout had been scouting the land for the past four hours. The sun was beginning to set, and both dragons and riders were tired, sore, dirty, and - in Snotlout's case - hungry.

"Something's wrong," Valka concluded, shaking her head sadly.

"I'll tell you what's wrong. I haven't eaten since breakfast and my dragon is out with Tuffnut," Snotlout grumbled. Then, looking out across the clouds, he added, "I miss you, Hookfang."

"Snotlout, be serious here. This isn't something to joke around about," Hiccup scolded.

"I just want Hookfang back. Shouldn't Astrid and them have gotten here by now?"

"Yes, but they were coming in at a different spot. They probably haven't gotten far enough to reach us yet."

Almost as soon as the words left his mouth, a small herd of dragons could be seen off in the distant sky - and all of them had riders.

"Here they come," said Valka.

"But why are they coming from over _there_?" Hiccup questioned. To himself, he muttered, "I swear to the gods, Astrid never hears a word I say."

It was only a matter of minutes before the new arrivals landed alongside the three who were already present.

"Hiccup!" Astrid panted, hopping off of Stormfly. Her braid was coming undone and her cheeks were turning red from the bitter cold that was settling in with the moonrise.

Smiling, Hiccup held his arms out in anticipation of a hug. However, his wife ignored his gesture and continued to talk.

"Hiccup, there was the smell of Zippleback gas trailing from near Berk to about an hour past followed it, and it led to nothing but empty space."

"No island, nothing," Fishlegs added. "It was weird." He dismounted Meatlug.

"And we couldn't find Barf and Belch anywhere," Ruffnut said. "Did you guys see them?"

"No." Valka shook her head sadly.

Sighing, Ruffnut climbed off Stormfly and bit her lip, trying hard to hold back the tears that were threatening to fall. She hardly noticed Snotlout approaching to wrap an arm about her slender shoulders.

"But we can't go home without our dragon!" Tuffnut cried with a sniffle.

"There's not much we can do, Tuff," Hiccup sighed regretfully. "We'll just have to head home and hope Barf and Belch come back on their own soon."

"Really, Hiccup? You're really gonna brush me off like that?"

"I'm not trying to 'brush you off,' Tuff. I'm just being honest."

"But -"

"No." Tuffnut crossed his arms over his chest. "I am _not_ going home without Belch."

"And I'm not going home without Barf," Ruffnut interjected.

"Guys, please," Hiccup spoke. "You need to understand. We've tried finding them. We've tried all day, and there isn't anything more to do other than head back to Berk and wait to see if they come back."

"Are you sure about this?" Ruffnut asked.

"'Sure' might be a bit of a strong word, but I...I...let's just say I _think_ this is the best solution...for now."

"He's right," Astrid sighed. "There's nothing else to try at this point."

Nobody spoke. Tuffnut silently turned his head so the rest of the group wouldn't see his eyes grow moist. Despite the fact she was not the type to be affectionate in public, Ruffnut wrapped her arms around her husband and buried her face in his shoulder. Snotlout responded by hugging her back, his lower lip trembling with sadness. He always tried to appear tough, but the truth was that he had a hidden sensitive nature - something he was less than proud of. Fishlegs embraced Meatlug, fearing that she would be gone soon, too. Valka stood beside her son, her heart breaking for the twins. As a woman who'd lived alone amongst dragons for nearly half her life, she knew better than anybody the pain of losing one. Hiccup patted Toothless' nose and stroked his head whilst Astrid mounted Stormfly and leaned against her, her arms fastening about the Nadder's neck as far as they could reach.

"Come on. Let's go home," Hiccup eventually said. He climbed onto Toothless' back.

The others solemnly followed - Fishlegs, Valka, and Snotlout each getting on their own dragon, Tuffnut sliding in behind Hiccup, and Ruffnut slipping onto Hookfang with her husband.

The journey back was painfully quiet and sad. When the riders finally arrived at their destination, they all bid each other good-bye and trudged toward their respective houses.

"We should go back out tomorrow," Astrid suggested once she, Hiccup, and Valka were indoors. "Not necessarily to find Barf and Belch, but just to see if there's any more clues we can dig up about this whole situation."

"I was already thinking of that," Hiccup responded. "But this time, it'll just be Mom and I."

Astrid rolled her eyes. "This again? Are you serious?"

Hiccup placed his hands on her shoulders. "It's not because I'm being overprotective, it's because it seems like there's a big snow coming, and I need you to organize things and get the people and dragons ready."

"But -"

"You felt how cold it got tonight. And on the way back, I noticed clouds starting to fill in."

"He's right," Valka cut in. "It's not looking good."

Astrid narrowed her eyes. "Then why are you two going out if it's supposed to be that bad?"

"I don't think it's gonna start until later tomorrow evening," Hiccup explained. "The winds haven't fully settled yet."

"If it starts, you'll turn back right away," she said. "You have to promise me that, or else _I'll_ be worrying about _your_ safety."

"I promise." He wrapped an arm around her waist. "Now, let's head off to bed." As he led her to the stairs, he looked back at Valka. "Good-night, Mom."

"Good-night, Hiccup. You too, Astrid."

"Good-night," Astrid reciprocated.

Upon reaching their bedroom, Hiccup lit a few candles for light and began removing his flight suit. "So, we're good?"

"Hmm?" The blonde Viking raised an eyebrow as she took off her shoulder armor.

"You're not mad at me anymore? I can sleep here tonight?"

"I guess you can." She smirked playfully and bent down to untie her furry boots.

"Thanks." He sat on the edge of the bed and unfastened his metal leg. Just as he was finishing that task, he sensed the mattress move, then soon after, felt a punch on the shoulder from behind. "Ouch!" he cried, twisting around to see his wife kneeling at his back with her arms crossed over her chest. "Why would you _do_ that?"

"That's for making me mad," she explained with a nod.

"Not this again." Hiccup let out a sigh.

Smiling, Astrid grabbed his face and slammed her mouth onto his in a sloppy kiss.

Once he registered what was happening, he wrapped his arms around her waist and deepened the lip lock. "Oh, gods."

"And this..." she started, struggling to speak through the kiss, "...is for everything else." Her hands moved to his shoulders, then around to the back of his neck, where she played with his auburn strands of hair.

He laid down on the bed and gently pulled her along with him, refusing to break their connection. "Mmm."

"You wanna help me finish changing for bed?" she asked when they finally needed to stop their make-out session to breathe. Her expression was smug, and a playful gleam shone in her eyes.

"Well, if I do that, you're gonna end up with a lot more than you asked for," he smirked.

"Fine by me," she muttered, leaning in to latch her lips onto his once more.

It is safe to say that as the candles burned their last, clothes were shed, leaving the two to pour out their love for one another in the strongest way they knew how.


	3. Chapter 3

**_The Vanishing Dragons_**

**_..._**

**The alternate and extended scene from the beginning of this chapter is also a oneshot. If you'd like to read it, it's called ****_Ten More Minutes_**** and it's in my oneshot collection. Also, the face rubbing/nuzzling thing I make Hiccstrid do in here is supposed to be like a dragon nuzzle...I just thought it would be cute if they stole the idea from the dragons:) And yes, this is a day early because I won't be home much tomorrow.**

**...**

Astrid opened her eyes and immediately felt the crisp air of the room hitting her a bit more directly than it usually did. Glancing down, she saw that she was clothed in nothing save the furs she was lying under and Hiccup's arms. It was then that she recalled what had happened the previous night. Like always, neither of them had bothered to put on nightclothes afterwards. There was no use for it, as they weren't shy about nudity around one another. Besides, the feeling of falling asleep with bare skin on bare skin was _amazing_.

With a sigh, Astrid came to the realization that she needed to get up and start breakfast for the family. However, she was a bit reluctant to leave the comfort of both the bed and Hiccup's embrace, so she lay there for a few more minutes before beginning the morningly struggle of trying to unwrap herself from her husband's hold.

"Mmm." Hiccup stirred and pulled her closer to him, unconsciously nuzzling his face against hers.

She attempted to wriggle down and carefully slip out from his grasp, but did not get much farther than an inch or two.

"Mmm," he groaned again, his forehead connecting with hers.

"Oh, gods," she muttered, kissing the tip of his nose. As much as she hated the idea, she knew she'd have to wake him before much more time was wasted. Letting out a sigh, she gently rubbed his back, then moved her hand up to shake his freckled shoulder.

"Cold?" he mumbled, his eyes cracking open ever so slightly before almost immediately closing again. Astrid tended to grow chilly easily, so there were lots of times during the middle of the night when the blankets would slip off of her and she'd wake up - shivering - to partially disentangle herself from his embrace, pull them back up, and snuggle closer to his body. Therefore, if he was woken by her moving about, Hiccup usually came to assume she was just trying to get warm.

"No, it's just morning." She ran her fingers through his disheveled hair.

"Hm?" He opened his eyes; however, this time he left them open.

"It's morning," she repeated. "I gotta get up, hun."

"No, you don't."

"Well, someone has to get breakfast started. We have a busy day ahead of us, and we'll all need energy."

Sighing, he finally loosened his grip and pulled away. He then placed a hand on her tummy, where a small baby bump was just barely beginning to show, and grinned.

Astrid tensed a bit at the feeling of the cold metal of his wedding ring on her skin, then smiled as she realized what he was doing. After a minute of silence, she asked, "What do you want to eat this morning?"

"I don't care."

"Well, in that case, I'll go see what we have left in the house to make and surprise you. Okay?" She pecked his lips.

"Fine," he sighed, resigning himself to the fact that she was getting out of bed. "Just don't surprise me _too _much," he added.

"Don't worry, I won't try any new recipes," she assured, sliding to the edge of the bed and grabbing the thick robe she always kept hanging beside it. After putting it on, she stood up and exited the room. Upon descending the stairs, she was met with Valka, who was coming in through the front door with a basket in her arms. Evidentially, she'd been out feeding the dragons of the family.

"Good morning, dear," Valka greeted with an acknowledging nod.

"'Morning," responded Astrid as she made her way into the kitchen. There, she found a frying pan and dug out eggs from the icebox - one for Valka, two for herself, and three for Hiccup.

"Where's my son?" Valka asked, following her daughter-in-law.

"He's being a lazy bum," smiled Astrid, amusement glimmering in her eyes. "But he should be up soon. And if not, I'll go give him a good whack over the head."

Letting out a soft laugh, Valka took the cooking supplies from Astrid. "You know what, dear? I'll take care of this. You go get yourself washed up awhile."

"Are you sure?"

Valka nodded.

"Alright. Thanks, Valka." Astrid turned and walked to the washroom. After scrubbing her face, hands, and neck, she rinsed out her hair, which had collected sweat from the activities of the night before, then ventured back to the loft. There, she saw Hiccup still lying in bed.

"Hey, what brings you back here?" he asked, his green eyes looking at her over the top of the covers.

"Your mother's taking care of breakfast, so I'm getting ready for the day awhile." She found her clothes, fur accessories, and armor. Once it was all gathered together, she untied her robe and began to dress.

"Stop doing this to me," groaned Hiccup, drool threatening to escape the corners of his mouth at the sight of Astrid standing naked in the room.

"I need to change. You don't _have_ to look if you don't want to." She put on a smirk and pulled on her underwear, then wound her breast bindings about her chest and walked over to her husband. "Could you tie this for me?"

He obliged, but not before kissing her bare shoulder.

"You know, you'd better think about getting up and dressed, too. I mean, considering you want to go out before the storm hits."

"Yeah, yeah, I will." Letting out a sigh, he swung his legs over the side of the bed and attached his metal leg, then found his underwear from the night before and put it on, followed by his robe. Leaving Astrid to wriggle into her leggings, he went down to the washroom and quickly freshened himself up. It was going to be a long day, and to be blunt, he was not particularly looking forward to it. As much as he liked anything to do with dragons, he wished for once that he could take a week off his duties and fly Toothless at leisure, spend time with Astrid and his mother, and hang out with his friends like they used to be able to do as teens.

Sometimes it sucked to be a grown-up.

By the time Hiccup was clean and dressed, Astrid was missing from the bedroom. Upon entering the kitchen, he found that she was already seated at the breakfast table with Valka.

"Finally, son, you're here," greeted Valka. "Come join us." She motioned toward the plate at the spot beside Astrid.

"Yeah, I know, I'm late," he said, sitting down and picking up his fork.

"So, did you sleep well?" queried Valka.

"Just fine." Hiccup nodded to emphasize his words, the activities of the previous night still fresh in his mind.

The remainder of the meal was finished in silence. When the dishes were cleared, Hiccup pulled a weatherproof boot onto his single foot and grabbed the gloves he had created to match his flight suit. "Alright. I'm gonna go get Toothless ready. You can meet me out there whenever you're ready, Mom."

"I'll be there in a minute," Valka assured.

"Good luck with the preparations today, Astrid," he said. Then, seeing the worry in her eyes at the prospect of him possibly getting stuck in the incoming snowstorm, he held out his arms. "Come here, you."

Astrid made her way over to him and sank into his embrace as she held him about his middle. "Just...just be careful, babe."

"I will."

"Here, let me give you kisses." He leaned down and, cupping her face in one of his hands, pressed a kiss first onto her forehead, then her nose, then her lips. "I'll be back before dark. I promise."

"You better keep that promise." She rubbed her nose against his cheek and smiled with delight as he reciprocated the gesture.

"I will," he murmured against her skin. "But if for some reason I do run into trouble, please don't go out there alone to look for me. Take Fishlegs or Ruffnut."

Astrid sighed. "I guess I can agree to that."

"Alright, then." He pulled away from her, giving the tip of her nose a little flick with his finger as he did so. "I'll see you later!" With that, he was out the door.

"Toothless! Come here, bud!" Hiccup called.

The sleek Night Fury appeared from around the corner and rubbed his rider with his large nose.

"Good morning to you, too. Now, let's get ready to go. We gotta do more investigating today." After giving Toothless a pat on the head, Hiccup made sure the saddle was tightly fastened onto the reptile's back.

"Alright, I think I'm ready," announced Valka as she stepped outside. "Cloudjumper!"

Cloudjumper, who had been let out of the stalls after feeding time, ran to Valka and let out a purr as she scratched his head.

Once the dragons were set, Hiccup and Valka mounted them and started off.

"Let's first check out that area with all the tracks we found yesterday again," Hiccup called. "Maybe there's more to be found that we missed. We'll decide what to do next when we get there."

"Okay," responded Valka, urging Cloudjumper on.

The remainder of the flight went on in silence. When the pair arrived at their destination, they both noticed that something was different than it had been the previous day. There were more footprints, and many of the small rock piles were completely gone.

"Mom, did you see any Zipplebacks or Gronckles around today?" Hiccup inquired.

Valka thought for a moment. "Come to think of it, no." She shook her head.

"Hmm." Leaning back in his saddle, he rested his chin on his hand.

"Do you want to try going back to Dragon Island?"

He nodded. "Good idea. Let's go."

...

Dark clouds covered the sky, and the winds were beginning to pick up to a nearly dangerous speed. Biting her lip, Astrid dragged the last of the firewood into the house and shut the door. She had just finished getting the village settled for the big storm, and was now ready to get dinner started for when Hiccup and Valka arrived - which she hoped would be sooner rather than later.

Pulling off her shoes, Astrid made her way to the washroom to freshen up her dusty face and hands. When that was finished, she changed from her armor into a skirt and apron and headed into the kitchen. She successfully finished preparing a meal of chicken and biscuits in less than two hours, which was quite an accomplishment for her. However, the rest of the family hadn't yet arrived.

Astrid walked to the window and looked out, only to see no sign of her husband and mother-in-law. Sighing, she decided that she better eat while the food was hot. She wasn't particularly hungry, but she knew that the baby would need nourishment, so she put together a plate for herself and sat down at the table.

After nibbling at her meal, Astrid went to the front room and sat on the couch. As the fire died, she threw more wood into it and wrapped up in furs to help keep herself warm. She'd had a feeling Hiccup wasn't going to keep his promise, but it didn't change the fact that she was growing more worried by the second.

Eventually, nighttime came. Astrid's eyelids were growing heavy, but she didn't want to sleep until Hiccup and Valka arrived. Glancing out the window, she noticed that snow was beginning to fall. As the minutes passed, the storm grew thicker, and any hope that the two would return soon was nearly wiped away. Astrid sighed and tugged the furs tighter about her body, then leaned against the back of the couch and closed her eyes.

It wasn't long before she dozed off into a fitful sleep, her worries about her husband haunting the back of her mind.

...

"I think we should turn back now," Valka said, bracing herself against the cold. She and Hiccup were on Dragon Island, and snowflakes were starting to fall to the ground.

"Hold on, Mom. I'm almost finished training this Zippleback," Hiccup responded. He had found a Zippleback amongst a cluster of trees, and had resolved to train it and bring it back to Berk so he could keep an eye on its every move. He figured that if he were able to do that, he could solve the mystery of the vanishing dragons.

"Your wife is waiting," she reminded gently. "You best be hurrying up." Valka's task had been to locate and train a Gronckle to bring home, and she had already completed that.

"I'm trying." He turned his full attention back to the dragon. "It's okay, buddy. I'm a friend."

The Zippleback cautiously sniffed Hiccup's hand as a strong wind blew.

"It's okay," repeated Hiccup. He offered the reptile a fish, which it readily took. Then, he reached out and touched one of its noses, finalizing the newfound bond. "Alright, bud. Let's go. You're gonna come home with me."

The Zippleback followed Hiccup as he returned to Toothless and mounted him. "I'm ready," he announced.

Valka gave a nod to show she understood, then ascended into the air on Cloudjumper, the Gronckle trailing behind.

Slipping his foot and metal leg into the stirrups, Hiccup went after his mother. The Zippleback flew beside him. If only they could all make it home in one piece, his plan would have succeeded. However, that final step soon proved to be difficult, as the storm thickened to the point where it was hard for even Toothless to see.

"Hiccup, I think we should find the nearest piece of land and wait out the rest of this," called Valka.

"I agree," he said. He lowered Toothless' height and squinted, searching for any sign of an island below. Astrid was probably worried sick by now, but he figured it was better to stay safe than try to push through the storm and potentially end up dying. He just hoped she hadn't attempted to search for him.

...

Astrid awoke at dawn the next morning to the sound of the front door opening. A smile spread played on her lips in anticipation of seeing Hiccup returning. But when she actually looked at the newcomer, she saw that it was Fishlegs.

"Astrid!" he shouted. His body was trembling and tears were running down his cheeks. "You...you gotta help!"

"What's wrong?" She instantly grew alert.

The plump Viking's face fell into his hands. "This is the worst day of my life. I...I just don't know what to do!"

"What is it?"

"My...my Meatlug is gone!"


	4. Chapter 4

**_The Vanishing Dragons_**

**_..._**

**Sorry for the lateness. College sucks. And Astrid's OOC-ness in here is because her mood swings from pregnancy are starting to kick in. I looked it up online and found that pregnant women really do feel sad, angry, etc. more often and can get the urge to be close to the baby's father.**

**...**

Astrid's mouth fell open. "She's...she's gone? Are you sure?"

"Positive!" Fishlegs shouted before wiping his nose on his sleeve. "I...I've looked everywhere! And she wouldn't even come when I put her favorite breakfast on my porch!"

"Alright, calm down." Rising to her feet, she tossed her blanket aside.

"I can't calm down, Astrid!" shouted the plump Viking. "She was my princess, and now she's gone!"

"Here, I'll tell you what. Give me five minutes to change, then we can go get Stormfly and scout the island." Before Fishlegs could respond, she dashed upstairs and hurriedly began to get into warm clothes and armor. When she returned, she found that he was seated on the couch with his face buried in his hands.

"My Meatlug!" he was saying. "She's gone!"

"We don't know that for sure yet, Fishlegs," Astrid said. "Let's just go out and look to see what we can find." Under her breath, she added, "Maybe we'll find my stubborn husband, too."

"I just...I just fear the worst," Fishlegs sniffled.

"Try not to." Sighing, Astrid led the way to the door and opened it, only to have a harsh gust of wind blast snow into the house. "Okay, so it still looks kind of strong out here. We should probably -"

"I don't care. I _need_ to know what happened to Meatlug," snapped Fishlegs. He normally was a laid-back person, but when it came to his dragon, his attitude could take a turn for the worst.

"We will." As she spoke, she felt an unexpected bout of dizziness swirl around in her head. Groaning, she gripped the wall.

"Can we please just go?"

Just as she opened her mouth to respond, nausea overtook her, and the sensation of lightheadedness that she was feeling turned nearly unbearable. "Hiccup," she choked out, momentarily forgetting that her husband wasn't home.

"Come on!"

Before she could say anything more, Astrid fell to the ground, a world of darkness instantly ensconcing her.

...

"Toothless, plasma blast!" commanded Hiccup. He and Valka had found a cave to spend the night in with the dragons. It had seemed like a smart idea at the time, but now that it was morning, the two Vikings found themselves snowed in.

The Night Fury obeyed, his warm blue fire melting away some of the snow that was blocking the exit.

"It looks like it's a couple hours past dawn already," Valka observed, peering outside at the sky.

"Oh gods, I gotta get back to Astrid," Hiccup muttered to himself. "If she isn't already out here somewhere." He looked down at Toothless, who gave his hand a comforting nuzzle. "Aww, thanks, bud."

"Let's start out now," suggested Valka. She summoned over Cloudjumper and the Gronckle she'd trained on Dragon Island.

Sighing, Hiccup climbed onto Toothless' back and signaled for his newly acquired Zippleback to come over to him. Once the little crowd was all gathered, he said, "Give us another plasma blast, bud. We need a little more melting to get out of here without killing ourselves."

The Night Fury opened his mouth, but nothing came out.

"Come on, buddy. This isn't the time for games. Plasma blast."

Toothless looked back at his rider and let out a soft whimper.

"Bud, what's the matter? You're supposed to have a limit of six shots, not one." Suddenly growing concerned, Hiccup dismounted the dragon and walked around to his face. "Mom, could you help me check out Toothless?"

"Of course, dear." Valka made her way over to her son and gently pried open the Night Fury's mouth. "Hmm." Raising an eyebrow, she ran her fingers along his gums and leaned forward so she could see into his throat. "It looks a little...strange in here."

"What do you mean by 'strange?'" asked Hiccup, crossing his arms over his chest.

"It's discolored. Look at all these spots." She gestured to the dark, brownish spots that dotted Toothless' gums and throat. "He could be getting an infection."

Hiccup peeked inside the Night Fury's mouth. Upon seeing what his mother had pointed out, he frowned. "Do you think he'll be able to make it back home?"

"I'd say so. We're no more than half an hour out - possibly an hour if you allow time for bad weather."

"Bad weather..." he repeated to himself. "How do you think he'll hold up in that?"

Valka shrugged. "I think he'd make it, but I can't be entirely sure, son."

Hiccup let out a sigh and allowed his face to fall into his hands. "This is bad. Uh...do you think you could go to Berk and get Fishlegs? Maybe he can help us figure it out. Toothless and I will wait here with the Zippleback and Gronkle."

"Hiccup!" called a voice from outside the cave.

"Fishlegs?" Hiccup questioned, looking out through the small opening. There, he saw his friend atop Stormfly - panic, pain, and fear all twisted into his expression. "Fishlegs! What are you doing here? And where's Meatlug?"

"Meatlug...she's gone!" Fishlegs cried, tears springing to his eyes again at the memory of his beloved dragon leaving him. "And Astrid...she was gonna come out with me to investigate, but she fainted...and then she threw up twice...she wouldn't eat anything, either. She said she felt all dizzy, and she made me swear not to tell you or anyone else, but I had to! And she was...she was actually crying! I've never seen Astrid cry before, and I didn't know what to do. I -"

"Calm down, Fishlegs," Hiccup said. But despite his words, he was beginning to feel worried and flustered himself. "Give me Stormfly, and I'll go back to Astrid. You stay here with my mom. Toothless isn't well, and she needs some help figuring out what exactly is going on."

"What's wrong with him?"

"He could only produce one plasma blast, and there's all these spots in his mouth. Mom said she thinks it could be an infection."

"Okay." Fishlegs hopped off the Nadder.

Hiccup swallowed hard and rubbed his hand against the bridge of Toothless' nose. "It'll be okay, bud. Let them help you. I'll go -"

"No, I'll go," interrupted Valka. "You and Fishlegs stay with your poor dragon."

"Mom, I -"

"Hiccup, he needs you."

"But Astrid needs me, too." After getting Cloudjumper to blast away some more snow, he climbed out of the cave. "Go ahead in, Fishlegs," he said to his friend. "I'll be back as soon as I can."

"Got it," the plump Viking responded with a nod.

Hiccup climbed onto Stormfly's back. "Take me home, girl."

Letting out a purr, the aqua-colored dragon rose into the air. There was some struggle with the windiness on the way back, but both dragon and rider made it to the Haddock home in one piece.

"Astrid!" called Hiccup as he pushed the door open and walked into the house. "Astrid, where are you?" Without waiting for a response, he made his way up the stairs and into the loft. There, he saw his wife lying in bed, her cheeks tear-stained and her eyes red and moist.

"Hiccup!" she exclaimed, sitting up and bringing a hand to her head at the sensation of dizziness that came with the sudden movement.

In an instant, Hiccup was by her side, his arms fastening about her. "Darling, what's wrong?"

A fresh flow of tears poured down Astrid's face. "I-I waited for you, but you never came home! A-And Fishlegs lost Meatlug, and -" She crawled onto his lap and buried her face in the chilled leather of his flight suit.

"Shhh." He stroked her hair, which was flowing loosely over her shoulders.

For the longest time, she simply clung to him and sobbed, releasing the jumble of emotions that was inside her body.

"How are you feeling?" asked Hiccup once her crying had died down. "Fishlegs somehow found Mom and I out there and told me that you fainted and threw up earlier."

"For the love of Thor, I told him not to say anything," she muttered.

"Well, he told me anyway."

Astrid groaned.

"And besides, did you really think I wouldn't know you weren't feeling well by the fact that you were lying in bed with all your armor and everything on?"

She shook her head. "No, but I...I just didn't want you to worry and get all overprotective again."

"Oh gods, what am I gonna do with you, Astrid?" he murmured affectionately as he kissed the top of her head.

The room grew silent.

"Have you eaten anything today?" Hiccup asked after a while.

"Not yet."

Sighing, he pulled her closer to him. "I'll tell you what, milady. How about you change into your nightgown and I'll go see what I can find you for breakfast," he suggested. "Or lunch. I guess it's more lunchtime than breakfast time."

"Please stay," begged Astrid. She lifted her face to meet his. Although she knew she should eat something, she was reluctant to have Hiccup abandon his comforting hold on her. The couple hadn't cuddled up over the past few days other than the night they had forgiven each other after their fight, and that just wasn't sufficient for Astrid.

"It'll take no more than an hour," he assured. Then, noticing her sad expression, he leaned down to kiss her lips. "Smile, darling."

Astrid simply laid her head in the crook of his neck and hugged his shoulders. "I don't feel like smiling."

"What has gotten into you, milady? It's not like you to be this clingy."

"Our baby, that's what's gotten into me," she answered dryly.

Hiccup chuckled softly before falling silent. Eventually, he said, "Astrid, I hate to break it to you, but I need to go back out before the day is over."

"No, you don't." She leaned further into him.

"But Toothless is sick; he never made it home. Mom and Fishlegs are still sitting with him. I told them I'd come back as soon as I could." As he spoke, Hiccup rubbed circles on her back in an attempt to soothe her.

Astrid didn't respond.

"Do you want me to brew some tea to help your stomach?" he offered once a length of time had passed. "You could drink it while I'm gone."

She shook her head. "I just want to snuggle with you."

Suppressing a groan, he tried to hold back his irritation. The reason he'd gone home was because he thought Astrid was as unwell as Fishlegs had made her out to be. But as it had turned out, her tears and distress had mostly been over wanting to cuddle. It wasn't that he minded cuddling in itself, it was that he needed to get things done elsewhere - things that didn't involve sitting with Astrid curled in his lap, her weight making his legs go numb from bring trapped in the same position.

"Darling, Toothless is sick," he repeated. "And we have a Zippleback and a Gronckle we took from Dragon Island that we need to bring here to observe. So, how about I help you into your nightgown, make you some crab cakes and tea, and let you rest while I go tend to that. By the time I come home again, you should be right as rain."

"But I really want you here, hun." She played with the strands of hair that grazed his neck.

"I can't."

"You mean you _won't_."

He sighed. "Look Astrid, I really don't want to get into a disagreement again, but I have other obligations to take care of. The sooner I leave, the sooner I'll be back. The sooner I come back, the sooner we can spend time together."

A tear rolled down her cheek.

He tried to hold back a groan again. This time, however, he was unsuccessful. "Please don't start crying again," he begged. Normally, Hiccup encouraged her to let out all her bad feelings by having a good cry. But now, he wasn't sure exactly why she was this upset over him needing to do his duties, and his internal frustration was beginning to surface.

"But I love you," sniffled Astrid, digging her nails into his flight suit and wrapping her legs around his waist.

"For Thor's sake, I love you, too. Now ease up on the death grip, please." He grabbed her feet one by one and gently pried them off of him. He then unfastened her arms and gingerly pushed her away.

"Hiccup, I -"

Without another word, he stepped out of the room and made his way down to the kitchen, where he began to collect the ingredients for the little meal he'd promised Astrid.

...

"Hmm, something isn't adding up," said Fishlegs as he stepped away from Toothless. He had just performed - with the help of Valka - a full examination of the Night Fury, and was now returning to the original site of the problem.

"What is it?" Valka asked.

"He doesn't have any other symptoms besides the spots in his mouth and his inability to fire. I mean, not that I noticed. Did you catch anything else abnormal?"

She shook her head and reached up to affectionately stroke Toothless' head. "No, I didn't."

Letting out a sigh, Fishlegs let his face fall into his hands. "This is all too much. Meatlug is gone, Toothless has this weird condition, and Astrid is back on Berk crying. _Crying!_ Oh gods, what is this world coming to?"

"It's gonna be alright," assured Valka. "Now, how about we try to make it home?"

"I...I don't know. Shouldn't we wait for Hiccup?"

The older Viking shook her head. "He could be hours yet depending on how bad Astrid is, the poor dear. I say we just go ahead and try to head out."

"But will Toothless be able to make it?"

She stroked the Night Fury's head and watched as he cast her a friendly smile. "The storm's already cleared up, so he should be fine," she decided. "And I'll fly him just to be sure." During the time she'd been back on Berk, Valka had developed a bond with Toothless that was almost as close as the bond Hiccup had with him. Therefore, she'd be able to easily sense any uneasiness that might arise.

"Who will...who will I ride, then?" Fishlegs questioned.

"Cloudjumper." As she spoke, she nodded in the Stormcutter's direction.

He gulped. "I uh...I mean, are you sure?"

"Don't worry; he'll be gentle with you."

He paused. "Um...well...if you say so." Biting his nails, he hesitantly climbed onto Cloudjumper and gripped him firmly. Riding a new species alone always made Fishlegs nervous, especially since nearly all dragons were faster than Gronckles. And high speed wasn't something that he particularly enjoyed.

Once Valka was settled onto Toothless' back, her foot awkwardly placed in the stirrup meant for Hiccup's metal leg, the little group set off. The dragons from Dragon Island flew alongside them, their confident movements suggesting that they had traveled in that direction before.

The flight home was, to be blunt, uneventful. Upon reaching Berk, Fishlegs helped Valka coax the Zippleback and Gronckle into the stables before tagging after her to the Haddock home.

"Son?" Valka said as she swung the door open and stepped inside, Toothless and Fishlegs following.

"Mom!" Hiccup exclaimed, rushing out of the kitchen. "And Toothless!"

Letting out a purr, Toothless bounded over to his rider and licked his face in greeting.

"Buddy, you're home!" He wrapped his arms around the Night Fury in a hug.

Valka smiled at the pair before asking, "So dear, how's your sweet wife?"

"A mess," he replied, pulling away from Toothless. "She's upstairs if you want to see her."

"I think I'll do that." She turned in the direction of the stairs. "Meanwhile, Fishlegs can fill you in on what went on with Toothless out there," she added before making the rest of her way up to the loft.

"Alright, talk to me, Fishlegs," Hiccup said, motioning for his friend to follow him into the kitchen while he finished cooking Astrid's food.

"Well," began Fishlegs as he plopped into a seat. "Valka and I couldn't find any more symptoms on Toothless besides the spots in his mouth and his inability to fire."

"So what does that mean?"

"I...I don't know." The plump Viking sighed.

"You don't have any ideas?"

"Well..."

"What?" Hiccup twisted about to look at Fishlegs.

"You probably won't want to hear this, Hiccup. It's -"

"Fishlegs, I _need_ to know," the young chief prodded sternly.

After a long pause, Fishlegs said, "I've read about something like this before."

"Then why didn't you say anything until now?"

"Because it's not necessarily a thing I like to think about. And neither you nor your mom would have wanted to hear it."

"Go on." Hiccup felt his heart begin to pound at the thought of what his friend might announce next.

"Hiccup..." Fishlegs choked out. "I think Toothless is losing his powers."


End file.
